Steve Elkington

Steve Elkington
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name Stephen John Elkington
Born (1962-12-08) 8 December 1962
Inverell, New South Wales, Australia
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Nationality  Australia
Residence Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Spouse Lisa Elkington
Children 2
Career
College University of Houston
Turned professional 1985
Current tour(s) Champions Tour (joined 2013)
Former tour(s) PGA Tour (1990–2011)
Professional wins 17
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 10
Asian Tour 1
PGA Tour of Australasia 1
Other 5
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters Tournament T3: 1993
U.S. Open T21: 1989, 1990
The Open Championship T2: 2002
PGA Championship Won: 1995
Achievements and awards
Vardon Trophy 1995

Stephen John Elkington (born 8 December 1962) is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He spent more than 50 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 1995 to 1998.[1]

Early years and education

Elkington was born in Inverell, New South Wales[2] and grew up in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.[3] He moved to the United States to attend college at the University of Houston,[2] where he played on the golf team that won national titles in 1982, 1984, and 1985.[4] He became the first prominent Australian player to play college golf in the United States. He turned professional in 1985.[2]

Professional career

Elkington has 10 wins on the PGA Tour, all of which were in the 1990s. He has 10 top-10 finishes in major championships, including a win in the 1995 PGA Championship at the Riviera Country Club, and a tie for second in the 2005 PGA Championship behind winner Phil Mickelson,[5][6] which moved him back into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Elkington was a member of the International Team in the 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000 Presidents Cups. In 1995, he was awarded the Vardon Trophy; this award is given annually by the PGA of America to the tour player with the lowest scoring average.

Elkington's professional career has been hampered by constant battles with allergies, which caused several absences from tournament play.[7] Elkington has had sinus surgeries, constant infections, and bouts with viral meningitis, as well as searing headaches.[8]

As of 2013, Elkington had sponsorship/endorsement deals with apparel brand Oxford Golf, Insperity, World Golf Tour, Grieve Family Winery, and Par West Custom Golf Shoes.[9]

Elkington played his first event on the PGA Champions Tour in June 2013.[10]

Controversies

In June 2006, playing in a sectional to qualify for the U.S. Open, Elkington tried to wear shoes with metal spikes. When his attempt was rebuffed, he left rather than change to soft-spiked shoes. He argued that since spiked shoes were allowed in the U.S. Open, the following week, that they should be allowed at sectional events.[11]

In December 2013, Elkington was widely condemned for remarks he made on Twitter following a fatal helicopter crash in Glasgow's Clutha pub. He wrote: "Helicopter crashes into Scottish pub... Locals report no beer was spilled." The tweet was quickly deleted but not before being shared by users of the social networking site. The comment provoked a furious backlash from his fellow players and commentators alike.[12]

In February 2014, Elkington remarked on Twitter that openly gay football player Michael Sam was "leading the handbag throw" at the NFL Combine, which multiple sources described as homophobic.[13][14][15] He was suspended by the PGA Tour for two weeks and fined $10,000 after his derogatory tweet.[16]

Television

In 2014, RFD-TV began airing The Rural Golfer, starting Elkington.[17] The low-budget production followed Elkington as he toured the United States, digging up golf stories. In 2015, CBS Sports Network began airing the second season of the show, retitled Secret Golf with Steve Elkington. [18]

Personal

Elkington is married and has two children. He met his wife, Lisa, while attending college in Houston.[19] His family resides in Sydney, Australia and Houston, Texas. His son Sam played golf on his high school team in Houston,[20] and in 2015-2016 was a freshman on the golf team at the University of Houston, where his father went to college.[21]

Professional wins (17)

PGA Tour wins (10)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Players Championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (7)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of victory Runner(s)-up
1 22 Apr 1990 KMart Greater Greensboro Open −6 (74-71-71-66=282) 2 strokes United States Mike Reid, United States Jeff Sluman
2 31 Mar 1991 The Players Championship −12 (66-70-72-68=276) 1 stroke United States Fuzzy Zoeller
3 12 Jan 1992 Infiniti Tournament of Champions −9 (69-71-67-72=279) Playoff United States Brad Faxon
4 2 Oct 1994 Buick Southern Open −16 (66-66-68=200) 5 strokes United States Steve Rintoul
5 8 Jan 1995 Mercedes Championships −10 (69-71-71-67=278) Playoff United States Bruce Lietzke
6 13 Aug 1995 PGA Championship −17 (68-67-68-64=267) Playoff Scotland Colin Montgomerie
7 9 Mar 1997 Doral-Ryder Open −13 (70-66-70-69=275) 2 strokes United States Larry Nelson, Zimbabwe Nick Price
8 30 Mar 1997 The Players Championship −16 (66-69-68-69=272) 7 strokes United States Scott Hoch
9 4 Oct 1998 Buick Challenge −21 (66-70-66-65=267) Playoff United States Fred Funk
10 7 Mar 1999 Doral-Ryder Open −13 (72-70-69-64=275) 1 stroke United States Greg Kraft

PGA Tour playoff record (4–4)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1992 Infiniti Tournament of Champions United States Brad Faxon Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1992 Buick Open United States Brad Faxon, United States Dan Forsman Forsman won with par on second extra hole
Faxon eliminated with par on first hole
3 1992 H.E.B. Texas Open Zimbabwe Nick Price Lost to par on second extra hole
4 1993 KMart Greater Greensboro Open United States Rocco Mediate Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole
5 1995 Mercedes Championships United States Bruce Lietzke Won with birdie on second extra hole
6 1995 PGA Championship Scotland Colin Montgomerie Won with birdie on first extra hole
7 1998 Buick Challenge United States Fred Funk Won with par on first extra hole
8 2002 The Open Championship Australia Stuart Appleby, South Africa Ernie Els,
France Thomas Levet		 Els beat Levet on first sudden-death hole,
after Appleby and Elkington were eliminated from a four-hole playoff

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

Asian Tour wins (1)

Other wins (5)

Major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1995 PGA Championship 6 shot deficit −17 (68-67-68-64=267) Playoff1 Scotland Colin Montgomerie

1 Defeated Montgomerie with birdie on first extra hole.

Results timeline

Tournament 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament DNP DNP DNP T22 T37 T3 CUT T5 CUT T12 30 T11
U.S. Open DNP T21 T21 T55 CUT T33 DNP T36 T40 T24 CUT T51
The Open Championship DNP DNP CUT T44 T34 T48 T67 T6 CUT CUT WD CUT
PGA Championship T31 T41 CUT T32 T18 T14 T7 1 T3 T45 3 DNP
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Masters Tournament T52 DNP DNP CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T33 DNP CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship T60 CUT T2 WD DNP DNP CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP WD T48 DNP DNP T2 DNP CUT T39 CUT T5 CUT

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 1 2 2 5 11 8
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 0 3 12 9
The Open Championship 0 1 0 1 2 2 15 7
PGA Championship 1 1 2 5 6 8 19 13
Totals 1 2 3 8 10 18 57 37

Team appearances

See also

References

  1. ↑ 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking
  2. 1 2 3 "Profile on PGA Tour's official site". Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Steve Elkington profile". Sporting Hall of Fame. Museum of the Riverina. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  4. ↑ Duarte, Joseph (May 25, 2016). "University of Houston looks to return to golf glory". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Biographical information from PGA Tour's official site". Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  7. ↑ Reilly, Rick (August 21, 1995). "Nothing To Sneeze At". Sports Illustrated.
  8. ↑ Reilly, Rick (August 21, 1995). "Nothing to Sneeze at: Steve Elkington Overcame Allergies and Made Hay on the Greens to Win the PGA Championship". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  9. ↑ Emmett, James (May 16, 2013). "Golf veteran Elkington nails a new deal for a new era - Sports Personal Endorsement news -". SportsPro. SportsPro Media. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
  10. ↑ Crenshaw, Jr., Solomon (June 5, 2013). "Rookie Steve Elkington says there's a lot of shot-making on the Champions Tour". al.com. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  11. ↑ Campbell, Steve (June 6, 2006). "Elkington's metal spikes raise clatter". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  12. ↑ McEwan, Michael (2 December 2013). "Elkington blasted for Glasgow helicopter tweet". bunkered. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  13. ↑ Coscarelli, Joe (25 February 2014). "Professional Golfer Steve Elkington Really Thinks He Nailed This Michael Sam Gay Joke". New York. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  14. ↑ Schilken, Chuck (25 February 2014). "Golfer Steve Elkington tweets homophobic joke about Michael Sam". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  15. ↑ Uribarri, Jaime (25 February 2014). "Golfer Steve Elkington writes homophobic tweet about Michael Sam". New York Daily News. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  16. ↑ McDowell, Coleman (July 6, 2015). "Steve Elkington Confirms He Was Suspended Over Michael Sam Tweet". Golf.com. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  17. ↑ Sherman, Ed (July 24, 2014). "No handicaps for these players: Steve Elkington show finds true winners in golf". www.shermanreport.com. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  18. ↑ Bastable, Alan (July 23, 2015). "Steve Elkington: The Golf Magazine Interview". Golf.com. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  19. ↑ Verdi, Bob (May 17, 2004). "A Throwback from the Outback". Golf Digest. ESPN. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  20. ↑ Stone, Peter (June 9, 2012). "Son takes his turn with the master stroke". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Sam Elkington Bio - Men's Golf". University of Houston Official Athletic Site. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
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